WEBVTT DAN: MILITARY PLANES FLY FASTERTHAN SOUND, BUT WHAT IF WE ALLrtCOULD?NILS LARSON: IT'S BE REALLY NICETO BE ABLE TO GET TO NEW YORK INHALF THE TIME.DAN: THE PROBLEM IrtS SONIC BOOMS.SONIC BOOMS ARE WHY IT'S ILLEGALFOR PASSENGER PLANES TO FLY ASFAST AS WE'D LIKE THEM TO.rtAND THAT'S WHY NASA TEST PILOTSARE INTENTIONALLY CREATING SONICBOOMS THIS WEEK, CAUSING HEADSTO TURN AND FAMILY PETS rtTO JUMP,ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN FEWCOMPLAINTS.NILS LARSON: WE'RE TRYING TOSTUDY HOW SONIC BOOMS MOVETHROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE.rtDAN: SONIC BOOMS COME FROM ASHARK -- SHOCK WAVE THAT TRAILSBEHIND A SUPERSONIC PLANE LIKETHE WAKE OF A BOAT.IT TURNS OUT, IF YOU CHANGE THErtSHAPE OF THE AIRPLANE, YOU CANACTUALLY MANAGE THAT SHOCKWAVETO QUIET DOWN THE SONIC BOOM.NASA'S ALREADY GOT A POTENTIALrtDESIGN.THIS PLANE WOULD LIKELY CREATE AQUIETER SORT OF SONIC THUMP,RATHER THAN A LOUD BOOM.USING MICROPHONES ON THE GROUND,rt10 PLANES FLYING 1000 MILESABOVE THE GROUND, RESEARCHERSTHIS WEEK ARE MEASURING HOWrtTHOSE BOOM-INDUCING SHOCKWAVESARE AFFECTED BY TURBULENCE.THE FINDINGS WILL HELPSCIENTISTS TWEAK THE DESIGN OFTHAT NEW, QUIETER PLANE.MEANWHILE THIS WEEK NASA'S DOINGrtWHAT IT CAN TO KEEP THOSE BOOMSAS QUIET AS POSSIBLE.>> SO THAT COCOA BEACH DOESN'T

Studying sonic booms in Central Florida

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Updated: 5:36 PM EDT Aug 25, 2017

Space Coast residents are hearing the nostalgic sound of sonic booms this week.

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WESH 2’s Dan Billow reports it’s part of a big research project by NASA to figure out how to fly supersonic passenger planes quietly.